Bill Altman recently retired as the owner of a trucking business, but he isn't going to lead an inactive life somewhere on a sailboat. Instead, you might say he is about to launch another career.

Altman, a longtime Sprint car fan, is negotiating with Mercer Raceway Park owner Vicki Emig to buy that facility. If the pending deal materializes, Sarver's Terry Bowser would be the track promoter.

Bowser, who operates his own construction business, has raced a Sprint car and his son, Carl, currently drives in the division.

Bowser said that when the sale is finalized there probably won't be any changes to the current schedule or the employees at the track. Some additional dates could be added.

His first order of business was to raise the Sprint car first place payoff to $1,500, the highest in the area.

In other racing news:

• Modified driver Kevin Bolland entered the Beaver County Sports Hall of Fame last week as the Hall's first inductee from motor sports.

A veteran of 27 years in racing, Bolland has captured hundreds of victories, along with eight Big-Block Modified point championships at area ovals, with his biggest win scored in Super DIRTcar Series competition at The Dirt Track at Charlotte, N.C., in 2003.

Among the elite list of athletes already enshrined in the Beaver Hall are NFL legends Mike Ditka, Joe Namath and Tony Dorsett.

• Avid race fan Frank Barlow recently moved to Virginia for a new job with Blue Cross. He wanted to come to Lernerville, so he drove up to the Cranberry Township exit in his 2-week-old Mustang to connect with his sisters, Marci and Linda.

As he was paying his toll, the woman in the car behind him dropped her money, reached down and accidentally gunned the gas pedal and smashed into Frank's car.

He was taken to the hospital and later released, but not in time to see the races.

• Wes Osmer received a long-awaited kidney transplant this week at Allegheny General Hospital. As usual, he is in excellent spirits, due to be released by the weekend and can't wait to be back in the pits.

• Last season, Marion Center and Dog Hollow joined together to provide a Force Super Late Model Challenge. Both tracks paid $3,000 to win for each track championship and announced if a driver could win both, he would collect a bonus of $10,000.

Well, Sammy Stile did exactly that and pocketed $16,000 for his efforts.

Sam's nephew, Billy Stile, will begin his racing career in the Crate Late Model division this season.

• Fans now can keep up to date with the World of Outlaws Late Model Series online and through text messages on cell phones via Twitter. Updates and breaking news are provided for the tour.

• Craig Dollansky, Sam Hafertepe Jr. and Tim Kaeding were fined and placed on probation following incidents at Tri-State Speedway in Pocola, Okla., April 10.

• Tri-City Speedway will open its gates for another exciting season.

Carol Gamble is the racing columnist for the Butler Eagle.